UditVani, Jamshedpur : A moving literary evening unfolded at Hotel Sonnet, Bistupur on Thursday, as decorated war veteran Lt Col (Dr) Arup Ratan Basu, YSM, launched his deeply personal and evocative book, The Kargil War Surgeon’s Testimony.
The event was curated by Swati Chakravarty, General Manager of Hotel Sonnet, to mark the 26th anniversary of Operation Vijay (1999) — India’s historic victory in the Kargil War.
Lt Col (Dr) Basu, a recipient of the Yudh Seva Medal, served as a frontline surgeon during the war. Now a Surgical Gastroenterologist residing in Ambagan, Sakchi, he presents a rare, humanistic perspective of the battlefield — not through strategies or firepower, but through the eyes and wounds of the soldiers he treated.
Far from being a traditional war chronicle, The Kargil War Surgeon’s Testimony reflects the emotional landscape of conflict — capturing moments of grief, resilience, compassion, and patriotic fervor. It is a war memoir grounded in humanity, narrated with the detached empathy of a doctor and the conscience of a citizen.
The book, published by Bloomsbury (India Office), is now available at Wasava Singh’s, Kamani Centre, Bistupur.
The event saw the presence of esteemed guests from the Armed Forces, including Major General P.P. Subherwal, the seniormost General in Jamshedpur, along with cultural and literary figures such as Purabi Ghosh.
The book has already received critical acclaim nationwide, including high praise from Shashi Tharoor, MP, who wrote:
“…as a powerful, poignant and heart-wrenching indictment of the debilitating cost of war, The Kargil War Surgeon’s Testimony ought to be read… and remembered.”
The launch not only celebrated a book but honored a legacy of service, sacrifice, and the healing hands behind the headlines of war.
